As States Battle New EPA Rules, Some Make Surprising Progress on Emissions

A new study by the Union of Concerned Scientists underscores an intriguing dichotomy in the battle over climate change: While many states are bitterly contesting the Obama administration’s new rule for reducing carbon emissions over the coming decades, many of those same states are already well along in meeting the new targets. Long before the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the Clean Power rule last week demanding a 32 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 from 2005 levels, many states were whittling away at the pollution that contributes to global warming by closing old coal-fired power plants, switching to cleaner renewable energy sources and improving industrial energy efficiency. While the efforts differed greatly from one state to another – and lacked the uniformity that can be achieved through a national standard like Clean Power – the states nonetheless demonstrated what could be accomplished without direct prodding from Washington.